The Effect of Simultaneous Expression of miR-146a-5p and miR-193a-5p on the Expression of MMP-9 Gene in Colorectal Cancer (HT-29 cell line)

Background and Purpose: Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the worldwide. microRNAs are a group of non-coding small RNAs that inhibit target mRNA translation. miR-146a-5p and miR-193a-5p are known as tumor-suppressors, which down expressed in many cancers. In this study, the purpose was to restore the expression level of miR-146a-5p and miR-193a-5p up to normal level, and to investigate their synergetic effects on MMP-9 gene expression in HT-29 cells. Materials and Methods: The HT-29 cell line from colorectal cancer was cultured in RPMI-1640 culture media. Then, miR-146a and miR-193a were transfected with Jet-PEI reagent.The expression of miR-146a, miR-193a and MMP-9 gene in transfected HT-29 cells and control cells were evaluated by using the qR-PCR technique. Statistical analyzes were performed using GraphPad Prism 6 statistical software. Results: Our results show that the expression levels of miR-193a and miR-146a were increased after transfection, and in comparison with un-transfected cells, the expression level of MMP-9 was decreased. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the simultaneous replacement of miR-146a and miR-193a may act as a potent tumor-suppressor and has an important role in cancer cell migration by influencing molecules such as MMP-9. Thus, simultaneous use of these two microRNAs may be suggested as a potential therapeutic goal in the treatment of colorectal cancer.